Wigginton’s two homers help usher out RedsSlugger, closer Valverde make moves on team statistical lists

Published 5:00 am, Thursday, August 28, 2008

Ty Wigginton isn’t the kind of player who’s going to provide much in-depth analysis about why he’s been one of the hottest offensive players in baseball in August.

“I want to go out and compete, and at the end of the year everything works itself out,” he said.

The carefree approach has worked quite well for Wigginton, who continued his torrid pace by belting two more home runs to send the Astros to a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon at Minute Maid Park.

With Wigginton hitting his 18th and 19th homers of the season and Humberto Quintero adding a solo homer, Brandon Backe delivered his second straight quality start as the Astros took two out of three in the series.

Backe (9-12) won for the third time in four starts by holding the Reds to six hits and two runs while striking out six batters in 62⁄3 innings to improve to 4-0 lifetime against Cincinnati.

Valverde repeats feat

Photo: Pat Sullivan, AP

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Ty Wigginton homers off Aaron Harang in the first inning at Minute Maid Park.

Ty Wigginton homers off Aaron Harang in the first inning at Minute Maid Park.

Photo: Pat Sullivan, AP

Wigginton homers twice as Astros top Reds 3-2

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For the second game in a row, Jose Valverde earned a save by striking out three batters in the ninth. His 35 saves are tied with Billy Wagner (2002) for sixth in franchise history in a single season.

Backe has allowed only 11 hits and five runs in 132⁄3 innings in two starts since giving up 11 earned runs in 52⁄3 innings Aug. 16 against Arizona.

“Things are falling in line, I guess,” Backe said. “I’m throwing the ball well, but there’s been a lot of games this year I thought I threw the ball well and came up empty. Obviously, the last two games I’ve thrown the ball pretty good and kept them off balance.”

“These last two (starts) have really been terrific, and I’m hoping that’s the real Brandon Backe we see,” Cooper said. “He did the same thing here last time out and attacked the zone with his fastball and went to his off-speed stuff when he needed to. He was really good.”

Backe carried a shutout into the seventh before giving up two runs after two outs.

“I’m looking at eight innings or a complete game going into the seventh inning,” Backe said. “I’m not trying to get ahead of myself, but it’s certainly possible. To get two outs and have all the stuff happen — a ball that goes halfway to third and I would have had to have made a great play — it starts from there.

“They had a triple that gets in the nook of the Crawford Boxes, and I walk a guy (Adam Rosales) who hasn’t established himself in the league, and here you go. I’m more frustrated I didn’t last longer than 62⁄3.”

Wigginton posted his first multi-homer game of the season, hitting solo homers to left field in the first and sixth innings off Reds starter Aaron Harang (4-14), who tied a season high by striking out nine batters in seven innings.

Quintero chips in

Quintero homered in the fifth and also picked off a runner at first to end the sixth.

Wigginton has 10 home runs in August, which ties for the second-most in the month in club history behind Jeff Bagwell’s 12 August homers in 2000. He has three homers in his last five at-bats.

“Same approach I went into the season with,” Wigginton said. “If there is a difference, it’s early on in the season I felt good and I busted up my thumb, and it took a little bit to get my timing going. Since the middle to end of May, that’s when I started feeling comfortable at the plate.”